The announcement of
a NASA press conference slated for tomorrow (Dec. 2) has set the
Internet abuzz with rumors that scientists have discovered
extraterrestrial life.

NASA announced
Monday (Nov. 29) that it will hold a press
conference Thursday
to discuss new findings "that will impact the search for
extraterrestrial life." Participants include several scientists
involved in the hunt for life
beyond Earth, as well as researchers
studying extreme forms of life on our own planet.

These details sent
speculation into overdrive on the Internet. One prominent rumor is
that microbial life has been found on
Titan, Saturn's largest moon.

The NASA press
conference will discuss a study being published at 2 p.m. EST (1900
GMT) Thursday in the journal Science. The research is embargoed until
then. Under the embargo system, some science journalists get an
advance look at papers, under the agreement that they will not reveal
the findings until the research is published.

The swirl of
speculation led many reporters to contact the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, which publishes Science, asking if
the embargo is still in effect.

"We did get
about a dozen inquiries from registered reporters, who were
confused," Ginger Pinholster, director of public programs at
AAAS, told SPACE.com.

In response, AAAS
sent an e-mail to journalists, informing them that the embargo has
not been lifted.

So are the bloggers
onto something? Will scientists make an Earth-shaking announcement
tomorrow? Perhaps not, since science journalists have already thrown
cold water on some of the most breathless rumors. [10
Alien Encounters Debunked]

Kottke, for example,
has updated his blog post to include a tweet from The Atlantic's
Alexis Madrigal.

"I'm sad to
quell some of the @kottke-induced excitement about possible
extraterrestrial life," Madrigal's Nov. 30 tweet reads. "I've
seen the Science paper. It's not that."

To find out exactly
what the researchers have discovered, everyone will just have to wait
for the press conference. Pinholster, for one, will probably be glad
when the facts come out and the speculation stops.

"Some of the
coverage has been almost comically erroneous," Pinholster said.
"I'm hopeful that we'll see many more responsible stories coming
out after the embargo lifts."